Music: Hebrew Hit

New York's Yiddish theatre district on lower Second Avenue, which has produced such fine actors as Paul Muni, does not often bring forth a popular song. Last week it had apparently turned the trick.

In 1933 the J. & J. Kammen Music Co. published a song entitled Bei Mir Bist Du Schön, from a Jewish musical comedy (I Would If I Could) by Sholom Secunda and Jacob Jacobs. The song went practically unnoticed until last summer Johnny & George, a Negro piano team, played it at a Jewish summer resort in New York's borsch belt, then brought it to a Broadway night club. There it was heard by Saul Chaplin and Sammy Cahn, two East Side boys who had written Posin', Shoe Shine Boy, Rhythm Is Our Business, could recognize a song when they heard it. They put English lyrics to Bei Mir Bist Du Schön, retained the original title, carried it to Harms, their publishers. Harms, delighted with the plaintive, minor tune that sounded like a Hebrew lament in swing time, arranged with J. & J. Kammen Music Co. to split royalties from the English version between Chaplin & Cahn and Secunda & Jacobs.

But even before Harms could get the song printed, Bei Mir Bist Du Schön (You Look Beautiful to Me) had become a hit. Decca had two records out: the Andrews Sisters', which had already sold 10,000 copies, and Glen Gray's. Brunswick had released a Russ Morgan version, and at Manhattan's Paramount Theatre the crowd called for four encores the first time Morgan played it. Victor had Guy Lombardo's recording of the song ready this week in time to be put on sale with the sheet music. First day's sheet sale (7,000) indicated that Bei Mir Bist Du Schön might be as sensational as The Music Goes 'Round and Around.